The Taken
by defy-law
Summary: 15 years of being forced to Hunt for the planet Sanc, Duo and Trowa are finally escaping to the sanctuary of their home with help, only to face more problems tham they ever imagined. 1x2x1 Hints at 3x4 AU, M for language and later chapters. Vampire-ish*
1. 00 Preface

**Warning:** This fic WILL contain Yaoi, if you don't like that, stop here.

Disclaimer: I will only say this once, I don't own GW or any of its characters, I am merely using them for my own enjoyment for no profit.

A/N: This is only a preface, not a chapter!

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**00 Preface**

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I never thought I'd find myself fighting to get back to the hellhole I'd tried so hard to get away from. It was an impossibility that never crossed my mind, but here I am; straining under the weight of worry and anxiety, making my way through the dark abyss called space, trying to get back to that despicable planet.

I didn't have a choice, really. Not after they took him.

Him… I couldn't let what I'd found be taken away from me. That was a reality I could not live with. One I wouldn't live with.

He was my link to this new world. The one thing I wanted desperately to hold on to. The single person existing in this world that made life in this solar system seem worth the pain and struggles. I'd become attached to him in such a short time and I couldn't let them take him to be enslaved for the rest of his life.

I won't allow them to take him back there. Even if it kills me.


	2. 01 Going Home

A/N: **THIS CHAPTER IS SHORT! **Please keep that in mind. The rest of the chapters will **_NOT _**be this short.

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**01 Going Home**

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"Man, Tro, I fuckin' hate this. I don't get her obsession with human." I tied off the end of my braid and tossed the trailing rope of hair over my shoulder, before removing my towel to get dressed.

My tall friend glanced at me through his odd bangs, an auburn tuft that constantly covered half of his face. "I don't either, but it's better than sitting on that god forsaken planet, being sucked dry." I could see a small smirk forming of his lips. "Besides… The next stop is the one we've been waiting for."

"The one we've been…" I nearly choked when the realization hit me. "You mean… I'm going to get to see it?"

"Yeah," He smiled. "You get to see your home."

"Home." The word felt odd in my mouth. For as long as I could remember I'd always been with the Hunters. They were my "family," though I didn't consider any of them even friends. I knew nothing outside of their world except for the few things that Trowa remembered from before we were taken. He was my brother and friend, never once leaving my side since we'd found each other our first day aboard this ship.

There were others. Hunters, like us, that were once human as well, but the change did something to them. They'd quickly become bloodthirsty and monstrous. It made me grateful, but I still wasn't sure whether to count myself among the lucky ones or not.

Most of the Taken were dead long before we even made it to Sanc. Only the select few that withstood the venom used to change us made it there alive. The rest were put in holding to be fed off of when we survivors awakened.

Surviving was a plus, but the effects of the venom were torn between a blessing and a curse.

On the up side: the speed, strength, extended life. They were all great. Enthralling, really. However, it was captivating in a darker sense as well. We were bound by limits, enslaved by them. We are forced to feed from the blood that originally ran through our own veins. Only the blood of a human can abate the burning thirst. We're also limited in pure sun light. Not to say we can't go out in it, but the effect it produces is not favorable. The natural light doesn't allow the venom to work as it should allowing the body to age, at a massively accelerated rate. Much faster than any changeling was willing to risk.

"Attention: Hunters. Attention: Hunters. Please assemble in the bay, prepare to disembark." A clipped voice interrupted my thoughts, bringing me back to the matter at hand.

I quickly pulled on the rest of my clothes. "That's our cue, right buddy? Time the find some new _pets_ for her majesty." I tried to let my usual sarcasm color my voice, but knew I'd failed miserably. Trowa was too quick to not notice the change in my usually joking demeanor. "Come on, let's get this over with." I gave in to the unwillingness that wanted to scream out of every pore.

Never would I willingly go around picking out more kids to be subjected to the things that'd been done to me. It was a curse in my eyes. A Hell brought on by misfortune. Until a safe getaway was assured, though, we didn't have a choice. Trowa and I would help as many kids escape as possible, it was all we could do.

Pulling on the gear, my stomach turned at the thought that more children would be taken, scared and unwilling. Kids like I was at one time, like Trowa. It was an unjust fate.

_I can't do it anymore! _The words screamed in my head._ I want out!_

"Duo," Trowa caught me in my internal fight once again. "Come on."

I stared at him for a moment. There was something more behind his emerald colored eyed. Something he couldn't say here, but I knew he had something planned. I could only hope it would help us get out of the nightmare that had become our lives.

"Right." I nodded, putting on the same external façade I would have with any other hunt. "Let's go."

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A/N: Please review, criticism welcome.


	3. 02 Let the Hunt Begin, Choice

A/N: windwraith brought up a very good point, so I'm hoping this helps.

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**02 Let the Hunt Begin - Choice **

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"Hunters!" Eyes, black as coal looked over the dozen or so of us armored Hunters from the platform above. A cruel twist came to his lips. "Her Majesty," the man announced and turned his back on us to face a large screen. "Queen Relena," He addressed the woman looking over us. "We are ready to disembark."

My scowl deepened and I was grateful for the helmet hiding my face at the moment. I truly detested the woman on the screen.

"Thank you, Wufei." The woman brushed a lock of dark blonde hair back over her shoulder. "My dear Hunters," she smiled at us. The pleasure she found in the torture of others, something she caused many of us on a daily basis, showed in the way every word dripped from her tongue. "Let the Hunt begin."

The platform we were standing on lowered, dropping into the metal shell of a space colony.

Trowa looked at me. "Welcome home, Duo." It was a whisper meant only for my ears.

I followed after him as he jumped down to move into the housing vessel, trying to stay close. "Tro-"

He stopped me with a quick glance. _Not here. _The unspoken words were loud and clear in his emerald eyes.

He still had something hidden, but I couldn't know until we were no longer surrounded by our 'peers.' I gave a quick nod of understanding, quickly moving forward to the unappealing task that was placed in my none-too-willing hands.

We were on the Hunt, the vilest thing we'd been forced to do. If the blood wasn't enough, we had to cause more suffering that would only lead to even more in the end. It was a never ending cycle.

Our time in the colony was going too fast. We were already an hour in to the Hunt and Trowa had yet to let me know what was going on.

I moved down a dark alley between buildings, shifting objects that lay scattered and strewn along the walls as I went.

"Oh!" I was a little surprised to come across two youngsters after shifting a box. They were much too young for my liking, despite being what were considered strays.

_Strays_—it was another of their names, given to the orphans and homeless children that we preyed on, the ones that would become the _Taken_. This was this same misfortune that led Tro' an' me to where we were now.

They cowered away from me as I squat down, bringing myself to their level. "Please, mister," the older of the two begged. "Don't hurt us?" The fear in his eyes was so obvious, I felt myself begin the chew on my bottom lip.

I pushed up the tinted lens connected to the helmet to cover our faces. "Listen very closely," I said, looking them both in eye. "Run. Find somewhere close by that you can hide, where no one can find you. Make sure you're there before dark every night."

They nodded and I smiled. "I don't want you to end up being forced into this life. Go, now. Quickly."

They picked themselves up and ran. At the end of the alley they looked back. A quiet 'thank you' drifted back to me and they were gone. I smiled to myself, knowing I'd save two more kids from being subjected to what I'd had to live through.

Trowa came up beside me after he was sure no one else was coming that would take the kids we hoped we'd just ensured freedom to.

"Let's go. We still have two hours before we have to report in." He led the way as we moved into first the next alley and then another, hoping we could find more kids before one of the other Hunters did.

"Damn. This isn't the right one." After another hour of searching, I could see the frustration finally cracking my tall partner's stony exterior.

"The right what?" I was so confused. "Tro-" I suddenly found myself on the ground, wind knocked from my chest.

"Come here."

"Wha-!" I was suddenly pulled into the shadow of another alley, one I'd just checked and could swear was clear.

I scrambled to get away from the man that pinned me to the ground, but before I could even push against my captor the cold metal of a gun barrel was pressed against my temple and I was pulled back against his body to where I couldn't retaliate.

"Codeword?" It wasn't really a question, more like a demend. I felt the deep rumblings of the voice through the chest pressed against my back.

"Heero! Wait!" A new voice was coming from farther behind me.

"Seriously! What the hell is going on!" My fear was made clear by the pitch and cracking of my voice as air returned to my lungs.

"Quatre, how do we know it's him? You have to be cautious." The deep, velvet voice rumbled against my back again.

Trowa blinked, a surprised look on his face. Surprised, but not a surprise that said he wasn't expecting the two that were currently holding me captive.

He relaxed and a smile spread on his face.

_Wait…_ I thought, realization dawning.

"Gundam."

It was an odd word to my ears, but it was obviously what the two behind me were waiting for. I was immediately released and quickly scuttled over next to Trowa's feet, finally getting a look at the two guys that had somehow snuck up on me.

"Trowa!" The lighter of the two voices came from a flaxen haired guy with bright aquamarine colored eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness.

"Quatre." Trowa quickly joined the others, obviously recognizing them. "And Heero… I didn't know you were going to be meeting us as well."

"Hn." Was the short, but rumbling reply that drew my eyes to other person in the alley. He was kneeling near the ground, checking the safety on the gun in his hand before placing it in a holster wrapped around his thigh.

My eyes were locked on this second man. His dark brown hair was the messiest I'd ever seen, but not in an unattractive way. Thick, dark lashes framed eyes that had and unnaturally dark blue color to them that almost glowed in the darkness.

The blonde spoke up again. "We need to get to shelter and dispose of your trackers." They each started to move towards the end of the alley.

"Duo, you coming?" Trowa turned back when he realized I wasn't moving with them.

"Coming where?" I asked, still shaken up.

He came back to where I was still sprawled on the asphalt. "I'm getting out, Duo. I'm not going back to Sanc. I'm not hunting anymore."

"R-really? We can do that?" The hope was building in me, fast, but there was doubt as well. What if it didn't work?

"We're going to try." He said, seeing my slight reluctance. I could tell he was putting everything on this one chance and he wasn't going to leave me behind. "You in?" He offered me a hand.

It didn't take me even a moment to decide. "Yeah." I took the proffered hand.

I'd been fighting to find a light, something to lead me to the freedom and happiness I'd never known and this was it.

This was where my life was going to start anew.

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Please review.


	4. 03 Loosing Gear, Doctors and Tracers

A/N: Enjoy!

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**03 Loosing Gear - Doctors and Tracers**

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"In here."

After going just a short distance down a couple of hidden allies, the blonde man flashed a key fob on a seemingly random section of a wall, opening a door that was impossible to discern from the brick it was a part of. He quickly stepped inside and Trowa wasn't far behind.

"Wait, Trowa. How do you know it's safe?" I was trying to be discrete, still unsure of how safe we really were with these men.

Trowa, like always, could see right through me. "Trust me Duo. If anyone can help us escape, it's these two."

"Hn." Our dark haired escort pushed by me through the door ahead of Trowa who'd paused to look back at me.

"Is that all he says?" My eyes followed the green clad back as it disappeared in the building.

Trowa simply gave a shrug and continued into the building. Sighing, I followed suite. As soon as I passed through the door, it closed and sealed itself into a flawless wall once again.

I examined the place I'd stepped into. To me, it seemed like a simple hallway, one that might belong in an office building. The passage had a warm and inviting tone created by the décor, while glass doors held names and numbers that I presumed were to advertise whatever business sat behind the see-through entrances.

"-okay," came the blonde's voice. "Perfect. We'll be there in just a moment." A hand lifted to hang up the ear piece hanging just under a lock of smoothed back hair. "You'll need to give your helmets and any communication gear you have on to Heero. He'll take them to our team to keep them moving for the remainder of the Hunt so that you don't raise suspicions. We can't afford for your internal trackers to be activated just yet."

Trowa immediately began removing his Hunting gear and I followed him. If he trusted these two, I was going to trust his judgment. He was the closest thing I'd ever had to family. It was a task to say the least, but we managed to get everything.

With his stony expression still in place, Heero took our gear and went back through the invisible door. We waited only a few minutes before he was back again.

"They're moving." He said making his way through us and continuing down the hall.

"Good. Okay guys, this way." The blonde turned and followed his comrade down the corridor another twenty feet before stopping just outside of an elevator and swiping the key fob once again.

In just moments the smooth stainless steel doors slid open and the four of us stepped into the car. I expected one of our two guides to press one of the buttons that would lead us to a higher floor and was surprised when neither moved to do so. Instead, the silver doors closed without a floor being chosen.

"Please identify." Came a smooth electronic voice from somewhere near the ceiling of the car.

"Quatre Reberba Winner," said the blonde.

"Heero Yuy." His rumbling voice came from the back of elevator as he settled in against the wall.

"And two guests." Quatre added.

"Voice recognition accepted." Came the smooth voice again.

"The labs, please," the slighter man spoke again in a clear voice.

_Whoa!_ I'd nearly lost my balance when the elevator not only started to move, but went down instead of up.

A small noise sounding very much like a snort from behind me caught my attention. Looking around to find the source I met a pair of deep blue eyes set in the shadows of chocolate bangs.

I envied how relaxed he was, settled against the wall: one foot pressed back against the barrier, even with the opposite knee, arms crossed against his chest. He pushed off the wall just a moment before the door opened and swiftly slid passed me into a new corridor.

This hall was as different from the previous as white is from black. Instead of the warm, rich tones, carpeted floors and glass-plated doors there was stainless steel everywhere. The floors, ceiling, walls and door all shown with the same blurred reflection.

"This way." A few yards down the hall, Heero stood with Quatre holding a door open.

We entered a room that looked like an operating room of sorts. Seeing as we were clearly waiting for something, I started to nose around, curious what this room was for, but the door opened again before I got too far.

"Ah! Well, look who we've got here, boys."

"You gotta be joking…" The words slipped out as my sight fell upon the group filing in to the room.

In front of me stood the same men that loomed over me nearly fifteen years before, just as old and wrinkled as they had been then.

"Well, it's nice to see you, too, Duo." said a man with a long almost hooked nose.

"But…" I immediately turned my attention to our escorts and supposed comrades. "What are _they_ doing here?"

"We're here," said the man with a claw hand and long white hair, "for the same reason you are."

"Yes," said the first. "We're getting out, as well. If you don't like it, then you can just make your way back to that damn ship." I just stood there staring at them as all five of the 'doctors' filed into the room, each still wearing their lab coats.

"You've done your part?" It was the sound of Heero's voice that broke my stare.

"Of course we did," said the man with the claw hand. "Did you think us incapable, Heero?"

"Hn." Heero, it seemed, didn't dignify anyone with a real answer. "Quatre?" He caught the attention of our other escort.

"Right." The blonde nodded as if he was giving some sort of confirmation.

Heero slipped back out of the room and I really didn't know what to make of all this.

"Quatre, is this where we'll be working?" This time it was a shorter man with a thin, dark, and pointed mustache that seemed to defy the artificial gravity of the colony.

"Yes. Please start. If we wait much longer, I'm afraid they'll start the trackers before they can be removed."

"Trowa, Duo, you'll need to remove the rest of your uniforms. They needs disposed of. Doktor S, Master O, would you be so kind?" It was the hooked nosed man.

"Of course, Professor G." replied the tall bald one.

I quickly found myself being stripped out of my armor and clothes, down to nearly nothing, and watched as the bald one and another that had some sort of false nose carried our armor out into the hall and off to who knew where. It all felt like some weird dream.

"C'mon, Duo. This needs to be done quickly." Trowa led me over to tables that looked like the ones in the morgue back on the ship. He climbed on one and I on the other, following his lead and laying on my stomach, my eyes never leaving his.

"Doctor J, there's only 20 minutes left to the Hunt."

"Thank you Quatre." said the one with the claw hand. "Well, then." he turned to us. "We need to remove your tracers. Don't move."

Before I could even react, I could feel the cold metal cutting through the skin on my back, just under my rib cage. I watched as the one with the pointy mustache did the same to Trowa.

I cringed as my flesh was pulled back, wishing they'd at least given a local anesthetic, but knowing it was impossible with the current time frame. The taste of blood filled my mouth before I even realized I'd bitten down on my lip.

Something pushed and prodded past the hole in my skin, digging and scrapping at the tender nerves and muscles that lie below. The pain was unbearable and the 'doctors' could tell I wasn't withstanding it well, I felt myself start to squirm, trying to pull away from the intruding instruments in my back.

"Quatre." One of them called out, I no longer cared who.

The blonde was immediately at the head of my table, taking hold of my wrists as I felt something metal clamp down on my legs.

"AHH!" My whole body jerked as something was torn from the tissues in my back.

I felt like I was going to be sick, but relaxed back in place while needles worked to sew up the hole that was surely present in my flesh. They bandaged the site and helped roll me to my side and then gently over the rest of the way to face the ceiling.

"Now for the anti-venom." Said 'hook nose,' standing over me, just like he had so many years ago. Cold and boney fingers probed my chest, obviously looking for a particular spot. I felt the needle against my skin, posed between two ribs, just to the left of my sternum. Just above my heart.

"Wait!" Realization hit me too late. The needle pushed through my skin, sinking deep in the tissues before embedding its tip into the life sustaining organ.

The thumb pushed down on the plunger and my heart felt like the blood it held instantly congealed turning to a cold stone instead of the warm fluid that flowed through it only moments before.

My breath caught in my throat, the air being sucked out by some unseen vacuum.

I was going to suffocate.

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Please review.


	5. 04 Nowhere To Run

A/N: Sorry that this is going up so late today. Please enjoy and PLEASE review, I'm desperate to know what you think!

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**04 Nowhere To Run**

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Instinctively, my eyes squeezed themselves shut tight. The bright lights around me where becoming unbearable.

Squinting, I tried to take in the room around me without blinding myself. Everything was blurred so I closed my eyes, knowing they'd be useless at the moment. I tried lifting my head knowing room checks would be made soon and I needed to get out of bed. Instantly everything spun, but I pushed through it, throwing my legs over the side of my mattress and pushed off to stand.

Something tugged at the crease of my elbow. I quickly pulled whatever it was away from my skin, ripping off some kind of adhesive along with it.

Without warning, a loud siren sounded causing my eyes to snap open and focus on a room that definitely was not one I recognized or expected.

I panicked.

There were two doors, one stood open revealing a bathroom so I bee-lined for the other, but before I could attempt my escape, I heard movement from somewhere behind the barrier and froze. There were voices and they were coming closer. I scanned the room again, searching for an escape route that didn't exists. There were no windows and nothing I could fashion into a weapon.

The handle on the door twisted and I ran for the bathroom, locking the door and scrambling to the far corner. There were no windows here either but at least there was something between me and who ever had put me in this room.

The voices that entered were muffled though the metal barrier but sounded panicked. Cautiously, I moved to the door and pressed my ear against the cold steel, straining to here when the coast was clear. Hearing footsteps moving back out of the room, I relaxed. Now was my chance. I grabbed hold of the sink to lift myself off the ground. I was more than a little surprised when the door I was sure I'd locked, swung open, cracking me square on the head.

"Fuckin' shit! Ow!" I fell back on my ass and clutched my now throbbing skull.

"Duo?" A familiar face appeared around the heavy door.

"Trowa?" Now I was confused. "Where are we?"

He took in my sprawled position in the floor and reached out a hand to help me up. "Come on. I'll explain everything."

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"Wait, I've been out for almost three _days_?" I was back on the bed I'd woken up on; the needle I'd unintentionally ripped out of my skin was now hanging around the metal pole that still held a half full bag of fluid.

"Yes. You had a bad reaction to the anti-venom." Quatre, a pale blonde I didn't remember stood in front of me trying to explain things. He had a concerned look in his eyes, making me feel like I should know him.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that if we try to force your body into the reverse transition, you probably won't make it." His eyes tightened. "Doctor J and the others have come up with another solution, though."

"What is it?"

He hesitated.

"Duo," Trowa who sitting next to me on the bed, hesitated for a moment. "They want to try having you feed on a human that has the anti-venom in their system."

"Okay? So inject someone and let me feed."

"Well, there's a problem." The blonde man looked concerned again. "The tests are showing that anti-venom's not reacting well with human blood. We have to find someone whose body can withstand the serum before we can even try it."

"Oh." I looked down at my hands lying on my lap. "So what will I do until then?"

"We have some blood baggies." He held out the kind of bag I remembered seeing in a hospital, hanging from a pole like the one I'd been connected to.

"Right." I took the offered bag, rolling it over in my hands.

"We're still doing some tests." He offered. "We're trying to see if someone inside the organization can be used as the…'vehicle' for the anti-venom."

"Tro, can't it just be you? You've already taken the anti-venom, right?" I felt stupid asking, I knew what the Reaction for a Feeder entailed. Tro' and I were close, but we weren't like _that. _Not that either of us wouldn't be interested in the other, but we were more than friends in other ways already.

"I would if I could." There was a hint of a smile on his lips; he was thinking the same thing I was. "But, I'm still receiving anti-venom for myself and I have to continue feeding until the transition is finished."

"Oh. Are you on the baggies, too?"

"No." He paused. "I have a… Feeder." He hated their words as much as I did.

"Wha? How did _I_ get stuck on the baggies, but you got a Feeder?" I pouted for a moment. "Wait! Who are you feeding on?"

Quatre let out a small cough and a warm blush quickly spread across his pale cheeks.

"Oh." As far as I knew, humans didn't take the effects of the Reaction very well; they had no resistance to it. Usually a Feeder would feel attraction towards the one feeding on them, but human's emotions are so strong, without the effects of venom in their system their attraction becomes an obsession.

Trowa knew what I was thinking about. He could see me looking for _it_ in the slight blonde. "The anti-venom keeps the Reaction in check. It keeps the obsession from kicking in."

"Actually," the blonde started, trying to regain his poise. "I need to go check how the tests are going. Heero should be back soon, so we can see how he interacts with the serum."

"Heero?" An image flashed in my mind of a stony expression.

"He was there that night." Trowa tried to remind me.

"Tall, dark, and brooding, right?" That got a chuckle.

"Yes, that's him." Quatre looked back to the door to the room. "We should probably get you out of here. No doubt you need to feed anyway."

As if in answer, I felt the dry burn of the thirst and my grip tightened on the blood baggie still in my hands. "Yeah, just a little."

I pulled the stopper that kept the liquid inside the package, draining the sack in seconds, not wasting a single drop. The burn subsided slightly, but it still lingered. I tossed the now empty baggie in a nearby trash can.

He moved through the door back to the hallway and motioned for us to follow. "Let's go. We need to show you around."

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Review? Pwease?


	6. 05 Blood

A/N: Here's the next. Just a heads up, the reason I don't really use the Docs' names/letters (J, G, S, H, and O) is because besides J, it was always easier for me to differentiate between them by looks. They won't play a huge role throughout _The Taken,_ but I hope my descriptions help you to recognize them.

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**05 Blood**

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"So, this is where the magic happens, huh, Tro?" I winked at my partner in crime, causing a light flush to spread across the one cheek I could see. We were at the end of my tour, finishing with Trowa's room. "I'm just teasing!" I prodded his ribs with my elbow, but I was surprised when he let out a little _Ow!_

"Man, Duo," he was rubbing the spot I'd nudged. "You're stronger than I remember." He was frowning and so was I. My little nudges and shoves had never had an effect on the tall man before. This was a first for both of us.

"That just shows how well the anti-venom is working." Quatre explained, smiling. The blonde had rejoined us in the last bit of my tour. "This is what it was meant to do; take away all of the workings of the venom; the strength, the invulnerability, the sensitivity to the sun. That venom turned you into the equivalent of a fairytale vampire. Now we're trying to reverse that."

"Vampire?" I'd never thought of it this way, but I was starting to see what Quatre was saying. I was, after all, in the process of draining my fourth blood baggie in only hours. "I guess so. We're just vampires without fangs." I laughed but it was the truth. Our teeth couldn't break skin like the monsters of legend. We'd always used more conventional methods for getting to the blood, a little slice from a knife worked just fine for me. I slurped down the last few drops and discarded the now empty bag.

A little buzz, the sound of a vibration, broke us from the conversation. Our guide pressed a button on the piece hanging on his ear. "Quatre here." He turned away to take the call.

The petite blonde was growing on me. I could see the little details that would attract Trowa. The expressions that showed every emotion, the little worry lines between his soft pale brows, and the warmth that seemed to radiate from the man at all times.

"Don't even think about it," whispered Trowa. It was a warning, though a friendly one.

"Think about what?" I knew what he meant, but it was too fun _not_ to toy with my all too quiet friend, so I leaned over, trying to catch a glimpse of a toned backside.

I was yanked back by my collar before I could really observe anything, a death glare shooting holes through the side of my head. I just laughed it off. I threw my arm around Trowa's neck and he relaxed, too. He knew I was joking and he could never stay mad at me.

"That's great!" Quatre's excitement was oozing out of every pore. "We'll be right down, then." He disconnected the call and turned back to us, heading back towards the hallway. "Come on, we're needed down in the labs."

That call was kind of a lucky break, I needed a few minutes to digest all that I'd learned.

It turned out the building we were being housed in was actually quite large. The night of our 'escape' I hadn't paid much attention to the outside, I was more interested in just trying to keep up with what was happening.

There were four floors hidden under the seemingly normal five story building that sat on the surface of the colony. The first of the underground levels was the 'office' of sorts. The two levels below that were the housing and kitchen areas for all of the employees, which now included Trowa and myself. The bottom floor consisted of laboratories. Above the surface, legitimate businesses rented out the available space. The building itself was owned by a man named Zechs Marquise.

Marquise, it turned out, was the founder of the organization that had helped pull us from the torture we'd been forced into since childhood. He'd named the organization Epyon.

No one seemed to know much about Zechs and what little they did know was pretty basic. He knew about Sanc, the aliens and their queen, and what they were doing. He was determined to stop them. He'd made the contact with the doctors that had set this whole escape in motion. He was also funding the research that had developed the anti-venom and that was now redeveloping it for use with me.

The elevator door opened to the fourth basement. I still didn't quite recognize this floor from that first night and I still wasn't sure of my way around its twisting halls, so I simply followed Quatre and Trowa to the door we needed.

"Ah, there they are." The doc with the claw hand motioned for us to come further into the room. In a far corner, Heero stood with his back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, ignoring everyone. The man looked like he was straight out of an action flick.

It was partially disturbing, and partially a turn on.

I mentally slapped myself. What was I thinking? A turn on? The man threw me on the ground before we'd even met! I forced myself to focus on what the doctors were saying instead of my own internal turmoil.

"It seems as though Heero's blood is holding up to the anti-venom. There are a few more tests we have to run for assurance, but it should work." The man's claw hand clicked its prongs together. "There is however one test we can't perform with this equipment. We need to see if Heero can withstand the Reaction."

"I thought the anti-venom took care of that." It was Quatre that spoke up, but he looked just as concerned as me.

The man with the hook nose was the one to speak up. "Only if the anti-venom is already present in the Hunter. In Duo's case, we had to reverse the anti-venom because his body was rejecting it. He'll be feeding on a human without anything to buffer the Reaction from taking hold."

"Now, now." The man with the claw hand spoke up again. "Heero is no normal human, don't forget. That's why we want you to test his limits to see if he can fight the Reaction before we start."

My mind was scrambling for an excuse. Everyone knew how the Feeders would act during a feeding, and they probably knew how _we_ acted as well, but I still wasn't comfortable losing myself like that in front of a room full of people.

"Duo just fed." It was Trowa to the rescue.

"Yeah. I'm not too thirsty right now."

I glanced to Heero. The man still hadn't moved, but he was watching the scene play out before him. Our eyes locked for a moment before I looked away, feeling heat rush to my face.

The taller doctor with a prosthetic nose spoke up. "I suppose they'll have to try it on their own. We don't have time to wait and watch anyways."

"I suppose you're right," said hook-nose. There was a bit of distaste in his tone. "You'll have to test it tonight. We'll need time to make adjustments if they're needed."

"S-sure." I felt like a child being given an impossible mission. I looked at Heero again, tall, dark, and brooding. He pushed off from the wall and headed for the door. "I guess I'll stop at your room later?"

"Hn," was all I got as a response before he left the room.

"That man has _got_ to be a robot." At least it got a chuckle out of Trowa and Quatre.


	7. 06 Testing the Limits

A/N: I'm impressed with the amount of hits this fic is getting, I just wish the reviews showed it. Hope you like it!

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**06 Testing the Limits**

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"I forgot how much liked pudding."

Trowa was sitting at the foot of my bed, his third little plastic cup in one hand while the other spooned more of the butterscotch snack in his mouth. The anti-venom had done wonders for him in the short amount of time it'd been in his system.

Right after we left the lab, a grumble erupted from his stomach. He and I both looked at it as if some little monster was going to claw its way out from his insides.

Quatre laughed at us. "I think it's time we get you some _real_ food."

We spent the next two hours in the kitchen. Quatre had Trowa trying anything and everything he could find. His reactions to some of the food had me laughing, making me forget all about _test_ I had to do.

When Tro felt too stuffed to taste anything else, the two of us made our way to my assigned room bringing a few pudding cartons with us while Quatre attended to some business. We'd been relaxing there ever since, just enjoying each other's company.

I'd always been relaxed in Trowa's company, but I was getting nervous about what I had to do. I couldn't put this off too long. I could feel the thirst starting to burn in the back of my throat, and my blood baggies were being cut off until I'd tried feeding from Heero. Just the thought brought another twist to my stomach. Even if I did try to starve myself, the Docs would start nagging at me sooner or later. Probably sooner.

Making up my mind, I sat up from my pillow and swung my feet down to the floor.

"Is it time?" Trowa, I knew, could see the anxiousness in my movements.

"Yeah." I sounded scared to my own ears, so I knew Tro' could pick up on my nerves.

"Relax. It's not like you're the only one that'll be… acting crazy." Trowa knew I hated losing myself like that, he was trying to help but it wasn't working.

"Yeah." My voice cracked. "I'm gonna get going. I just wanna get it over with. I'll find you later." I didn't get an answer back, but I didn't need one.

My mind was going a million miles an hour and there was nothing I could do to slow it down. I had felt the budding of attraction to the man that I was soon going to feed on, and that could only lead to complications of the Reaction. My heart felt like it was pounding through my chest and a lump sat in my throat.

The trip down the hall was short and too soon I was staring at the door that belonged to one, Heero Yuy. I raised my hand to knock, but the door was pulled back before I'd even swung my arm.

I froze, fist raised, held in place by a pair of striking blue eyes.

"Are you coming in, or just going to stand there?"

His deep velvet voice sent a tingle up my spine, but the words were enough to thaw me, pushing me back into motion. I moved passed the stoic man and into the room that looked a lot like mine. There were no decorations or added touches to make it personal like Quatre's room. Not even a framed picture. The guy was a minimalist.

I reached back, catching the end of my braid and fiddled with the thick bunch of hair. I'd done this quite a bit in the last few hours, it was a nervous habit. I listened for movement behind me, even for the sound of him breathing, but heard nothing. Finally, I gave in and turned back to the door where Heero was still standing.

There was a small, almost invisible smirk on his face as he watched my hands work away at the strands they held captive. I immediately dropped the bundle and locked my fidgeting limbs together behind me. Heero's eyes found a new resting place quickly, locked with mine and holding me in place once again.

"Di-did they tell you want could happen?" I swallowed, hard. I dreaded having to tell him how he would act once I started feeding, worse yet, how _I_ would act. When he gave a slight nod I let loose a breath of relief. "It might be more comfortable if you sat down. You might get a little light headed."

"Hn." Apparently he didn't like that idea, probably because the only place to sit was his bed and that could be more dangerous to a situation like this.

"Right. Look, I don't like this anymore than you do." I tried to explain. "I've never liked this. I hate what it does. I ha—"

"Can we get this over with?" He cut me off sounding bored, glaring at me through a curtain of chocolate bangs. He leaned back against the door and shoved one hand in a pocket.

"O-okay." I felt the butterflies in my stomach start to go berserk. I moved to just in front of him, watching his movements, his mannerisms, trying to read the man hidden behind the mask.

He watched me, too, gaging my reaction as he pulled a small surgical knife from the pocket he'd just reached in to.

"What are you doing?" I eyed the blade.

"No fangs, right?" Before I could even register what he said, the blade slid across the middle of his forearm. A line of scarlet formed at the new opening, causing my thirst to burn something intense. He slid the knife back in his pocket and held the now bleeding appendage out to me. "Drink."

I didn't need to be told twice. I took hold of the extended arm and drank long and deep from the cut. It was pure ecstasy, the warm liquid flowing from his body and into mine. While the blood baggies were a good substitute, it was _nothing_ like drinking from the source. _This_ was what we craved.

After several moments, I finally broke away from his arm to catch a breath. I licked the scarlet drops from my lips and glanced at Heero. His eyes were glazed over, the Reaction had set it. I dipped for another quick taste, cleaning the excess from his skin before dropping the appendage. I had to stop; there was no way for me to know how much I'd taken from him.

I stepped back from the man, his eyes following my every movement, just like I was watching each of his. I watched as his hands came up, and latched onto my shirt keeping me from moving back any further.

The way he looked at me sent chills down my spine. I was more than willing to let him take advantage of me. I'd tasted his blood and now I wanted to taste his lips. I wanted to taste them and nothing was stopping me. I breathed in, taking in his scent and smiling at the sharp tang that hit my senses. It was all too easy to lean in the short distance between us and capture his all too tempting mouth.

My lips moved against his, begging for a response. My hands moved of their own accord, one tangling in his hair, the other reaching around him to lay claim to his toned backside before the hand fisted in my shirt gave a sharp push.

I stumbled back, the jolt enough to clear the haze in my head, if only just a little. Heero was keeping the Reaction contained in himself, but I couldn't. I'd let it take control of me, just like I had every other time.

He looked at me again, his eyes still glazed, but I could see the clarity coming through. A smirk formed on his lips. It felt like he was laughing at me. He'd beaten the Reaction, but I hadn't.

He stepped forward and I started to panic, for no reason other than the fact that I felt like a fool. I didn't want to be in this room anymore. I didn't want to be anywhere near this man. He looked through me with knowing eyes and that scared me, so I did the only thing I could.

I ran.


	8. 07 Reporting In

A/N: Here it is!

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**07 Reporting In**

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An armor clad figure moved through the halls of a giant ship. Twisting and turning through the maze of corridors, finally stopping outside of a particular door. Taking a deep breath the man stepped through the barrier.

"Commander Chang!" A Hunter stood at attention behind the chair holding the man he addressed. They were in the center of the Command Room onboard Sanc's ship, Libra. "We've located the missing Comm gear from Unit 3."

Sharp, dark brows raised, waiting for the Hunter to continue. "And?" Wufei was getting impatient. Two Hunters could not just disappear from existence. It wasn't possible.

"Th-they're clean, sir." The Hunter was nervous, but he held his ground. "Someone deactivated and dumped them days ago."

"Anything from the internal trackers, yet?"

A crewman that had been tapping away at one of the stations spoke up. "No, sir. We're still trying to deactivate the virus in the systems, but as far as we can tell they're not even registering anymore. They're gone, sir."

"Hn." The Chinese man frowned. "Her majesty won't like this."

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I was relieved to find my room abandoned when I got back. I couldn't handle telling Trowa what happened, not yet. I didn't even want to _think _about it, let alone share my failure.

My bed was looking very inviting. I just wanted to curl up and forget the world, but I couldn't do that yet. Instead, I stripped off my clothes and headed for the bathroom. I needed a shower.

I let out my braid, turned on the faucet, and stepped into the stream of warm liquid. I let the water wash over me, trying to let it wash away my insecurity.

I'm not sure how much time passed before I finally moved, but when I did, I felt a dull ache in my muscles. I went through the motions of washing my hair and body, scrubbing my skin raw but not really noticing. I pulled myself from the shower and dried the beads of water from my body. I brushed my hair but let it hang loose. I knew I'd regret it later, but I couldn't bring myself to care just then. I needed that bed now.

I passed on clothes and went straight for the sheets, hoping to find the comfort I needed there. More time passed but I never really relaxed; all of my muscles were tense, on edge. The feeding kept replaying in my head: the taste of his blood, the feeling of my hand locked in his hair, the look in his eyes.

I was sure the Reaction had set in with Heero, I could still see the glazed-over look. There was a desire there that had drawn me in, something more than just the lust brought on from the feeding. Heero had felt something too, something he was trying to hide. Or was that my mind playing tricks on me?

My fingertips found their way to my lips, trying to remember the short kiss that had been shared. A craving to feel those lips against mine again gnawed at me.

"Ugh!" I groaned at myself. The Reaction still hadn't completely gotten out of my system. I wasn't going to think logically about what happened until it had, but my attraction to the brooding man was making it difficult.

Someone knocked at my door, but I ignored them, too caught up in my own turmoil and determined to not face anyone for quite a while. After the third knock, though, I finally gave up. Throwing the sheet off of me, I snagged a pair of grey sweatpants from the stack of clothes that had been given to me and finally opened the door as my visitor knocked again.

"I knew you were in there." It was Trowa, but his smile dropped after he took in my appearance. "What happened?"

I left him standing in the doorway and crawled back in bed, facing the wall and away from him. "The _experiment_ didn't go so well." My voice sounded like I'd been drowned.

"What are you talking about?" He closed the door and sat behind me on the mattress. "I just came from the labs, Heero said it was a total success."

"What?" That brought me back to the reality I'd been trying to avoid. I sat back up and turned toward my friend.

"Yeah…" He looked confused. "What happened in there?"

I could feel the heat rising on my face. "I couldn't control the Reaction, Tro." I stared down at my hands as they wrung themselves around each other, too ashamed to look at him "I almost—I kissed him!" Trowa was staring at me, looking for the joke to come out, but there was no joke hiding in my words. "He stopped me." The last part was barely a whisper.

His brows furrowed. "The doctors already finished their tests, they want to start the treatments right away." He placed his hand on top of my own, forcing me to stop fidgeting and look at him. "When I left, they were setting him up for the first injection."

I thought back to the meeting in the lab earlier, try to pinpoint something that would have deemed our _experiment _a success. _"There is however one test we can't perform with this equipment. We need to see if Heero can withstand the Reaction." _The words echoed in my ears. _If _Heero_ can withstand the reaction. _"They knew I wouldn't be able to."

"What?"

I looked at Trowa, realizing I'd spoken out loud. "They never expected me to resist the Reaction, they were counting on Heero to. I can't do it, Tro! Another feeding and he won't be strong enough to stop me. Who knows what I could do!"

My tall friend paused, taking in what I'd just realized. "Hm. Still, sitting in here moping about it won't help anything. Come on, Quatre's going to teach me a card game." He stood up, pulling me along with him. He was giving me a distraction and I was more than willing to take it.

All of my thoughts were still rolling around in my head, but I didn't want to dwell on them. "Okay, let me try to do something with _this, _first," I said, referring to my hair that was looking like a hot mess by now.

"I'll meet you in Quatre's room, then; I want to get some more pudding."

I smirked at my tall friend. "'Kay."

He left, pulling the door closed behind him. I grabbed my brush from the bathroom sink, where I'd left it after my shower, and pulled it through the strands that had gotten tangled in my restlessness.

I was coming back out of the bathroom, tying off the end of my braid when there was another knock at my door. I smiled.

"Did you forget something, Tro?" I teased, but when I opened the metal entrance, it wasn't Trowa standing on the other side.

"Expecting someone else?"


	9. 08 Force Feeding

A/N: This chapter is a little shorter than they have been, bu it felt like the best place to stop. Enjoy!

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**08 Force Feeding**

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"Heero?" To say I was surprised would be an understatement.

He took in my low sitting sweatpants and smirked, making me realized I still hadn't put on a shirt. Heat rose in my cheeks. "Hn." He moved passed me into my room.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" I closed the door and grabbed a shirt, pulling it over my head before looking at him again.

"It's time for you to feed, Doctor J gave me the first injection." He held out his arm, the little surgical blade ready to make another slice at his copper skin.

"Wait!" He paused and looked at me. "I can't." I was pleading with him. "Don't make me do this. I can't control it."

He looked at me closer, searching for something. "Yes, you can."

Before I could say anything else, there was a new line of scarlet on his arm and it was being offered to me. The burn flared up in my throat, consuming every other thought. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the need that was trying to take control of me, and attempting to block off my senses. I stepped back from the temptation, trying to get away from what I knew would be my downfall. I'd only managed two paces back when something hooked my ankle, dropping me flat out on the floor. I sucked in a sharp breath at the fall and the burn flared again, searing a path down my throat.

My eyes flew open when a hand pushed on my chest, keeping me pinned down. "Don't fight it." Heero climbed over me, straddling my chest. He held his bleeding arm above me and I immediately fought back, bucking my hips and trying to drive him away. I grabbed his bleeding arm, trying to push it away and making a mess smearing the scarlet liquid over his skin and across my hand.

He captured my thrashing arms with a strength I wasn't expecting and forced them over my head, stopping my struggle almost immediately. He locked my wrists together with one hand forced the bleeding appendage over my mouth.

"Drink." It wasn't a request.

I tried to push him away one more time, but the action allowed the liquid life to slip between my locked lips. That one little taste was enough to break my resolve and give in to temptation. I latched on to his arm and drank.

Heero released his hold on my arms when I stopped fighting him. They immediately moved latched on to his arm, keeping it in place. Now that I'd given in, I wasn't planning to let go until I'd had my fill.

Heero held himself up, leaning over me. I watched him while I pulled the liquid from his body. Eyes almost closed, lips parted, it was an expression of bliss. He was watching me, enjoying every second of it.

I was starting to feel full, but my body didn't want to let go of him yet. A small moan escaped his lips and it only fueled my want further.

Finally he pulled his arm away, his eyes were glazed again and he was breathing heavy. He watched as I licked the spilled blood from my hand and then from his arm. I licked my lips and his haze covered eyes watched the movement. He was just as lost in the Reaction as I was.

I reached up and locked my hands around his neck, taking advantage of his moment of weakness to drag him down and capture his lips again, this time eliciting a response. Our mouths moved against each other as if synchronized, like they were meant for each other. I could feel a pressure building in my stomach and I wanted more.

My tongue darted out, asking for entrance that was quickly granted. I played with the new space, taking in the new tastes. He was like whiskey, it burned but not unpleasantly. Sliding my tongue along the roof of his mouth, I elicited another moan, which only provoked me further. I pulled his body closer, the pressure and closeness adding to my building heat.

An electric ringing filled the room, breaking the trance held over us, clearing the air.

I looked up at Heero who was now sitting back on my stomach, pulling the small cell phone from his pocket. His eyes never left me even as he flipped open the device to answer.

"Yuy." He was short, listening to what the other person had to say and answering quickly. "I'll take care of it." He disconnected the line.

"Shit!" My fingers clenched in my hair. "Shit!"

Heero, still seated on top of me, smirking again.

"What are you so fuckin' happy about?" I was becoming hysterical. Not only had I _still_ not controlled myself, but Heero hadn't stopped us like before. "You couldn't fight the Reaction either!"

"You don't know anything." Heero stood up, leaving me on the floor.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I sat up, watching him as adjusted his clothes that had become strewn when I tried to resist him.

"Hn… I'll stop again in a few hours." With that, he left.

"What the hell?" I was more confused now than I had ever been, and now I was going to be late meeting up with Quatre and Trowa.


End file.
